Yoon vows to resolve unfair practices in gaming industry

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday unveiled a set of measures to upgrade the country's gaming industry, including disclosing information on randomized in-game items, in his latest move to woo young male voters ahead of the upcoming election.

Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) said he would mandate game developers to disclose the odds of getting randomized items, which has been a hot topic among gamers here.

In some online games, users pay to receive items randomly to boost the power of their game characters. But some gamers have been questioning the real probability of drawing good game items, as they argued it is virtually impossible to get them even if users spend a lot of money.

With game developers refusing to disclose the odds and even frequently changing the drawing probability, some gamers last year launched a protest and boycotted their games.

Yoon said he would allow the establishment of a users' committee, which is similar to an audience committee for a TV broadcaster, so that gamers themselves can directly monitor the gaming firms regarding the issue.

The former prosecutor general also promised to make an investigative body dedicated to online gaming scams, such as deceiving others when trading game items, considering the current process of handling gaming fraud is cumbersome and complex.

Yoon called for esports adopting a franchise system with regional attachment, like professional leagues of baseball and football, where teams represent a certain city or province.

He also unveiled a plan to establish a gaming academy for children and the elderly as well as an institution helping disabled people to enjoy games.

Yoon's latest plan for the gaming industry is in line with his recent pledges apparently targeting young voters, especially men in their 20s, ahead of the March 9 election.

The PPP candidate earlier said he would abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which is in charge of women's affairs, and raise the monthly wage of conscripted soldiers to 2 million won ($1,680).

According to a Hankook Research poll Tuesday, Yoon gained 16.2 percent support from people aged 18-39, trailing behind Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party with 27.7 percent and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party with 20.2 percent. (Yonhap)